The One and Only Gibblet
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Sleeping after a workplace injury leads to enlightenment for NCIS Special Agent Gibbs. Kate, Abby, Tim, and Tony attempt to convince their father that only children lead better lives than they do. Jethro does not agree. This story belongs to my Here and Now scenario.
1. Wishing

Wishing

NCIS Special Agent and team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs sank onto the sofa with relief, though he certainly winced as the springs absorbed his body weight. The action intensified the throbbing in his knee.

Despite his adamant protests to the contrary, he wasn't fine. Oh no, he was far from fine and he knew it.

Gibbs had managed to wrench his problem knee earlier in MTAC when he stumbled over a loose edge of carpet. His misstep ushered in unwelcome attention and ministrations from practically the rest of NCIS.

This certainly was not the first time his knee had suffered an injury or managed to sideline him.

Against his wishes the Agency's Director and Dr. Donald Mallard- Ducky to his colleagues-had ganged up on him and insisted he go home immediately to rest the injured knee and leg.

Discarding all of his protests they overruled his every argument, ignored Jethro's set jaw and steely blue eyed stare, and pointed him towards home.

Meeting him at the elevator, Ducky shoved a bottle of painkillers into Jethro's jacket pocket with instructions to follow the label's directions.

Scowling a response, Jethro tersely insisted that the Agency needed him to work and that the good doctor would regret not permitting him to perform his job duties.

Ducky crossed his arms across his chest and adjusted his glasses, evidently immune to his friend's angry musings and capable of withstanding his wrath.

Abby Scuito and Tony Dinozzo, who both worked and lived with Gibbs, traitorously added their voices to those of the doctor and director. They assured Jethro the Agency would survive without him.

Et tu, Brute?

Visibly annoyed at their disloyalty he snapped irritably, "Has it occurred to either of you that you can think individually, not as part of an agency harboring turncoats?"

Abby and Tony had raised their eyes at each other and shrugged off his annoyance, evidently deciding his health trumped his wishes.

No doubt they considered his banishment some type of tough love or something.

Gibbs gently massaged his leg and propped it cautiously. The jarring action shot more waves of pain up and down his leg and he closed his eyes and willed the pain pills to kick in and do their work. Though he would never admit it to Ducky or anyone at NCIS, he welcomed something to ease his suffering.

 **Jethro Gibbs found it hard to rein in his about-to-explode temper as he contemplated the angry words and body language of his eleven year old daughter, Kate.**

Framed in the doorway of his bedroom Kate had both fists knotted against the frame. "Why do I always have to be the one who doesn't get to ever, ever do anything in the whole world?" she demanded.

Seated on the edge of his bed, Jethro ignored her as he leaned down to tie the laces of his work boots.

She persisted. "Say, Dad!"

Drawing in a deep breath, Jethro straightened slowly and eyed the child. "You sure you can afford to be disrespectful, Katie?"

"I'm not disrespectful!" Kate contradicted before allowing her voice to rise further. Despite her petite frame and delicate features the child possessed a strong will and even stronger stubborn streak. "It's just not fair! Every time I get a chance to go somewhere you let one of the other kids get to do what they want instead. I just keep wishing you only had me and no one else and I could be the only child in this house!"

She had worked herself into such a state that angry tears began to fall. To punctuate her dissatisfaction she added, "I wish I lived somewhere else with no stupid brothers and no bratty sister!"

Jethro had endured enough of the meltdown.

Without a word he stood up and crossed to the door. Placing both hands on her shoulders he turned her around and marched her across the hall to her own room.

He pointed towards her bed and ordered firmly, "Thirty minutes timeout, and make sure in that time you think about how I don't tolerate speaking disrespectfully and raising your voice."

Kate regarded him mutinously but refrained from hurling a verbal reply. She settled for kicking her bedside table instead.

The lamp wobbled but managed to stay upright.

Jethro strode across the room, yanked Kate against him, and delivered three stinging swats to her backside. He punctuated the smacks with a promise. "Young lady, if your behavior hasn't dramatically changed at the end of timeout I promise that you will be across my knee for a real spanking. Am I clear?"

Though not yet willing to yield, Kate had the intelligence to nod through her tears. She wiped her eyes with annoyance as her father left, shutting her door firmly behind him.

Jethro returned to his room and hastily finished his preparations for work. He had been called in to NCIS for a meeting with the Director and the Secretary of the Navy that would take a minimum of a couple of hours. Thus, he'd had to call upon a sitter to chaperone his children until he returned.

Aged nine to twelve, his four proved a handful even when on their best behavior.

He stood and stretched in an attempt to unkink his neck muscles. Kate's dander was up because their afternoon plans had fallen through once he was summoned to the Agency. He had tentatively promised the children a good afternoon, but unfortunately, he was needed at NCIS.

Three of the children had accepted the inevitable.

Kate refused to agree to the change of plans or any modification of them.

It furthered displeased his daughter that her brother Tim's arrangements could still be realized since the ten year old had been scheduled to hike with his Scout troop in Rock Creek Park. Since the Scout leader's home was actually en route to the Agency Gibbs could drop the child off there. The Scout leader had already planned to drive all of the boys home after the expedition.

So Kate had railed and stormed and argued that he should take her to the skating rink to join friends, as well. Her father pointed out the fallacy in her logic. To begin with, the rink was in the opposite direction he needed to travel. Then, Jethro would never allow any of the kids to hang out unsupervised at a skating rink. But Kate wanted her meltdown and refused to be swayed. She hurled accusations over the injustice of being one of four children and informed her siblings nastily that she absolutely would have preferred to have been an only child.

Angered by her words, the others yelled in return that they would have been happy not to have her as a sister either.

Gibbs had calmed them finally but only after sending Kate upstairs.

The doorbell rang and Jethro jogged down the steps to admit Ms. Presley, whom he privately thought resembled the actress Kathy Bates. This was just the sitter's third visit with the family and thus far the kids had not defeated her.

After thanking her for appearing with such short a notice he called Tony and Abby in from the backyard to tell them goodbye, then motioned for Tim to hurry and join him in the car. He jogged upstairs and kissed Kate goodbye. She managed to remain sullen and pouting despite the good bye, eliciting another warning from him about addressing her own behavior.

Once Jethro dropped Tim at the Scout's meeting point and confirmed the arrangements with the leader he lost himself into thought. It genuinely bothered him to have left on an unhappy note with one of his kids.

He inhaled a deep breath and reminded himself that normally his eldest daughter remained pretty cheerful.

Sibling rivalry played havoc with all four kids at some point, and in twelve years of parenthood he had not mastered an outlook or response to adequately deal with it. Today, for example, when Kate lauded the benefits of only children he slipped into thinking of his own position, having been reared as an only child. Jethro realized that what he once considered deprivation presented itself as an attractive way of life to his children.

All four played the only child card at the prospect of thwarted plans.

Though usually genial and gracious, little Abby periodically chafed at sharing Jethro with her siblings. Since babyhood she had gone through periodic spells of clinginess where she commandeered his time and attention and wreaked havoc if she couldn't have her father to herself.

As a toddler she would wrap one small arm around his leg and glue herself to his side, moving when he moved and clutching him to reassure herself he would focus on her even when her brothers or sister approached. Should they demand his focus she would insert herself into the activity or conversation before talking over them or interrupting.

Despite her waiflike appearance and expressive green eyes she possessed a manipulative streak.

Jethro shook his head at the recollection of one such memorable example when Abby was three and he had taken all four children to a local park and playground.

Rather than join the others as they fanned out towards the monkey bars, swings, and merry go round, Abby insisted upon yanking her father's hand and demanded he go with her to the camel shaped sandbox. Once there, however, she refused to play unless he joined her.

"No," Jethro responded firmly, watching as a scowl crossed her face. "Honey, I need to walk around and check on your brothers and sister. You keep playing and show me what you can create. Look, I brought a pail and shovel so you can build a castle."

"No, Daddy!" she contradicted with indignation. "Stay here with only me!"

He pried her fingers off of his hand and spoke firmly, "I just told you…."

"Daddy, see me! Look up here!" Tony's excited voice interrupted from across the playground's expanse.

Jethro narrowed his gaze to locate his son before anxiously jogging in the six year old's direction. Fearless even at that age, Tony balanced atop the monkey bars. Using his arms for balance he proceeded to walk its length like a tightrope walker.

"Son, climb down!" Gibbs ordered, his voice shaky and loud as panic began to erupt within him. "Now! Get down before you fall off of that thing!"

Tony paused and regarded his father quizzically, balancing on one foot.

Jethro quickened his step.

"Daddy, come back here!" Abby demanded from behind him. Realizing that her father's focus was on her brother and determined to keep his attention on her, she jumped up and raced after him. "Stay only with me, Daddy!"

Jethro was just a couple of feet from the monkey bars when the preschooler cut in front of him. Unable to avoid a collision, he tripped over her and smashed into the iron base of the equipment.

Abby tumbled underneath the bars and burst into terrified wails.

Shocked at the chaos below, Tony skillfully dismounted and swung to the ground where Abby lay sobbing and his father grimaced in pain with his right arm clutching his left.

Distinguishing that something horrible had happened to their family Tim and Kate raced to join the others.

What a day!

What a memory!

Gibbs inhaled another deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose at the memory. Luckily Abby hadn't been hurt and he had suffered some rough bruising, but no broken bones. Still, it had been a close call.


	2. Hoping

Hoping

Traffic on the Beltway appeared more frustrating than usual. Glancing at the car in the lane beside him Jethro noted a car seat in the back with a ginger haired toddler boy. He grinned at the little fellow, acknowledging to himself that the baby was almost as cute as his Tim had been at that age.

For a while he had thought Tim's hair would remain the reddish blond which graced him as a baby, but by his second birthday the red had all disappeared. A medium blond now, Jethro predicted Tim's hair would probably darken to a light brown by adulthood.

Tim- Jethro smiled as he conjured an image of his youngest son. If he ranked the kids by the ease in rearing them, he would rate Tim number one, thanks to his bashfulness, desire to please, and introverted nature.

Still, the little boy did display flashes of assertiveness and competitive traits on occasion or when he felt a situation warranted them.

Jethro maneuvered his vehicle onto the beltway's exit ramp and recalled a conversation with Tim that had occurred just the week before.

The ten year old had climbed down the basement stairs and then settled on the third step from the bottom. Once situated, he propped his elbows on his thighs and cupped his chin in his palm, evidently deep in serious contemplation.

Attaching a shelf support to an oak bookcase he was building for the family's living room, Gibbs peeped over the framework at him. "Upset?"

"No," the child contradicted with a soft smile. "Just thinking important stuff."

Jethro hid a grin. "I see."

Father and son stayed lost in silent musings for several minutes before Tim finally blurted, "Daddy, the house would be so much better if you only had one kid."

Gibbs put down the screwdriver and wiped his hands on a cloth towel.

"Me- I mean for the kid," Tim stammered before clarifying, "the only kid."

Jethro did not respond for several seconds, giving himself time to digest the implications of the statement. With Tim he felt he often reacted too quickly, his natural impatience over-riding his tolerance level when the little boy took forever getting to a point.

Moving to where his son perched, Gibbs pushed Tim's legs sideways and lowered himself beside the boy on the step. "Why do you figure that to be true?"

Glancing at his father to determine if he were being taken seriously, Tim exhaled a sigh of relief. His dad appeared genuinely interested. He nervously pinched the fabric of his jeans at the knee and worried with it as he justified his reasoning. "First of all you have four kids you have to send to college. Ducky told me that if people have to pay then college costs thousands and hundreds of dollars every single year. Except he said if I make good grades I will get a scholarship so I can go to school free. But anyway, four kids times four years at college means sixteen years of paying."

Tim paused and repositioned himself so that he could face his father. Jethro leaned over and brushed Tim's bangs away from his eyes before wrapping an arm protectively around his son's shoulders.

The ten year old resumed his narration, his tone passionate. "So if you only had just me then my college would be mostly paid. You wouldn't go broke and not have any money."

Jethro pursed his lips. "That's thoughtful of you."

"And another thing," Tim drummed his fingers on his thigh. "You know how you said everyone had to pick one kind of camp for the summer?"

Indeed the NCIS agent had informed his children earlier in the week that each one could select just one summer camp to attend. A decision had to be made as to which activity would prove most important and top priority to each.

"So Daddy, remember Tony still wants you to change your mind and let him go to football camp and basketball camp like Abby is upset because she has to decide on veterinary camp and chemistry camp or insect study. Kate's the only one who just wanted art camp and nothing else."

"Let me understand your argument, Son," Jethro responded thoughtfully. "Your thinking is that without the others you could attend all four of the camps you personally requested. Those are the same ones you have reminded me of at breakfast and at supper for several days now. Is that correct?"

Tim nodded vigorously, beaming with pleasure that his father understood his rationale and sympathized with his plight.

Conversely, once again Jethro reminded himself that his confidence in his NCIS abilities surpassed his confidence in saying the right thing at the right time with any of his children.

"Son, I'm sorry that you only get to pick one. Really, I understand. But the fact is that it will always be like this because there are four of you, as you pointed out to me. I have to be fair to all of you."

Jethro coasted his vehicle into a parking space in the NCIS deck and powered off the ignition. Rather than open the door, however, he remained lost in his musings.

Why did his four fail to grasp the companionship and rewards inherent with siblings?

Tony had demanded his wisdom- staccato like- a month before when Gibbs picked him up from soccer practice.

Greeting his father with the news that he had played well and scored twice, the twelve year old pointed at a flashing neon sign down the street. "Dad, can we stop and get a banana split from the ice cream place? Please? We can share!"

Gibbs shook his head regretfully, "Sorry, Son, but we need to get on home."

"We can hurry, Dad." Tony's green eyes sought his father's blue ones.

"No, it's too near supper anyhow and you don't need your appetite ruined."

Tony evidently had held onto hope that his father would change his mind. So moments later when they passed the parlor Tony threw himself back against the seat with a groan.

Jethro attempted to console him. "Maybe this weekend I can take all of you out for ice cream."

"Like that's really a possibility," Tony muttered, not bothering to mask his annoyance.

"Don't get disrespectful with me," Jethro instantly admonished. Then softening his tone he asked, "Are you objecting to all of the family going?"

"Yes. Oh yes indeed I am!"

"Will you tell me why?" Jethro glanced sideways at him.

Tony pivoted so that his body faced the passenger window. He rested his head on the back of his seat. "Dad, just once in a while, couldn't just you and I go somewhere together?"

"For ice cream?"

In a wistful voice Tony elaborated. "For ice cream, or to a movie, or to the batting range, or just somewhere. Just us, Dad. Could just us go with none of the other kids?"

Jethro noted the slump of Tony's shoulders and sighed as a wave of guilt washed over him. When was the last time he and Tony had enjoyed a father and son activity?

He slipped his right hand on the boy's neck and massaged gently. "Believe it or not, I realize it's sometimes rough as the oldest. To tell you the truth, I don't worry about you as much because I have faith that you are capable of handling so many situations without my direct supervision. But I do not have that same confidence in Tim or the girls and can't say I feel that same way where they are concerned."

Tony shifted again, this time facing front.

Obviously the child was listening. Encouraged, Jethro continued. "I realize that I have to take up more time with the younger three because they don't know all of the things that you do. You can work independently, Son, but they can't."

Tony slid himself nearer his father and checked the seat belt's restraint. "Don't worry about it, Dad. I know you try hard."

"But you are right, Tony," Gibbs admitted. "You and I rarely have the opportunity to spend any time together. I will try to change that."

Jethro tousled the child's hair and Tony settled against him.

The two fell into a companionable silence for several minutes as one street turned into another and the distance home decreased.

When their house finally appeared Tony abruptly sat up and grinned mischievously. "Your mistake was in your numbers, Dad. Once I was born you had the perfect kid- the magnum opus of offspring. You were so pleased you wanted to have another just like me but ended up instead with Kate and Tim and Abby. But I'm going to let you slide and chalk it up to a huge error in judgment on your part. Your disappointment when they fell short should be punishment enough."

Jethro couldn't help but laugh both at the logic and with its delivery. "Thank you, Tony."

 **NCIS Special Agent and team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs awoke with a start and struggled to get his bearings.**

He realized he had fallen asleep in his living room with his leg propped on the coffee table.

It would be rough changing positions.

Sitting up proved a struggle and he grunted with the exertion.

Night had almost fallen.

Abby appeared in the doorway, having evidently returned from work. "Good, you're up now. Ducky said he'd return to check you before he went home tonight. Are you hungry? I know you'll feel better after I make you some soup."

Tony materialized behind her. He offered a steaming cup of coffee and set it on a coaster. "Here you go, Boss. Abby's not the only member of this household who has a handle of how to make you feel better."

Jethro regarded them both and his expression softened. "I know- you're both my one and onlys."


End file.
